


Boy, I'm a treaure

by nakamaRose



Category: Markiplier (YouTube RPF) Jacksepticeye (YouTube RPF)
Genre: Established Relationship, Europe adventures, Fluff, M/M, Nicknames, Oh those boys, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-12
Updated: 2018-04-12
Packaged: 2019-04-21 20:11:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,982
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14292519
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nakamaRose/pseuds/nakamaRose
Summary: He was accustomed to such compliments given to him by the American over Skype and Discord but hearing them in the flesh was completely different, the way Mark’s eyes show brightly despite the dim lighting. His smile lazily forming across his lips as he leaned forward once more, placing an elbow onto the table and cupping his chin his hand.





	Boy, I'm a treaure

**Author's Note:**

> I have this saved as: Unofficial sequel to Keep on Keeping On. I became inspired recently and started writing and something solid started to form. You don't have to read that work to figure out what's going on in this one, there are couple references but nothing really relevant.
> 
> Either way, I hope you enjoy! :)

The sound of an artificial beat poured from his speakers, the familiar voice of Kendrick Lamar filling his recording room as he mouthed the lyrics to the song. Jack’s eyes were focused on the screen of his computer as he skimmed through images of infants, trying to pick out the best one that would work with the image of himself that he had decided to use. It was good that Jack lived alone, he wouldn’t know what to tell a roommate if they caught him scrolling through endless Google Image results of varying infants. Earlier on he had decided to do an Instagram live video where he briefly talked about the process he went through to make the thumbnails for his videos and he had shown his fans the images of infants he was sifting through as he tried to find the right one. There were a few jabs and crude remarks, some wondering why Jack was looking at something like that, while others seemed unfazed and went on to ask him how his day was going. It’d been fun, and Jack had confessed that he wanted to do something like that more often, he loved the relaxed feeling it promoted, and he wanted his fans to see him as a person, rather than some celebrity.

His phone chimed then and Jack drug his eyes from his computer screen to see a familiar name greeting him.

 **Mark:** _You haven’t forgotten to eat something, right?_

The two men had been talking throughout the small amount of time that Mark had been awake, with the time difference between them, it was normal for the American to question whether Jack had eaten anything yet. Contrary to popular belief however, Jack _did_ in fact eat. The problem was that he could go hours on end without feeling _the need_ to consume food, his workaholic tendencies often overriding his bodies simplest needs in order to get one more recording out of him or one more video roughly edited before he sent it of to be polished by Robin. Jack’s eyes wandered down to the plate of food that was getting cold, reaching out and picking up a piece of cold cauliflower and popping it into his mouth before replying.

 **Jack:** _Does it still count if it’s cold?_

The Irishman laughed quietly to himself, the voice on his speakers changing into the soothing baritone of Khalid. Jack pushed his keyboard off to the side, pulling his plate of food in with his left hand and settled down to finally eat, the growling of his stomach finally becoming audible to his ears. He shoveled food into his mouth with one hand while he propped an elbow onto his desk and flipped through his phone with the other. The soft ping of his phone distracted him from an online article that had only partially interested Jack, some sort of frenzy around a recently released game and its leveling system.

 **Mark:** _Only just barely, I swear. What would you do if I wasn’t here to remind you to eat!_

In truth, Jack would probably get more work done, but the Irishman didn’t feel the need to tell him so.

 **Mark:** _What’d you end up making? Anything I need to try?_

Among the many talents the American seemed to harbor— some of these including making killer pancakes that would be cooked to golden brown perfection or picking up guitar in a matter of months—the most obvious was his love to cook. Jack had honestly been blown away the first time he had ever gone to America to visit his friends. Instead of going out to eat for his last night all those years ago, Mark had gone out of his way to cook Jack a full course dinner that would put any restaurant dinner to shame. It’d become a sort of unspoken tradition that Mark would take upon himself whenever Jack found the time to visit.

 **Jack:** _Tried spicing up cauliflower, mixed it with sriracha and maple syrup._

 **Mark:** _Really? Maple syrup and hot sauce? Doesn’t sound like the most appetizing of combos._

It was a new recipe; one Jack had found late one-night last week. It had piqued his interest enough that he had saved the recipe to his phone and had decided to try it out. It was interesting to say the least, and the Irishman was unsure how he felt about it especially since he had let it grow cold. He loved cauliflower, both cooked and raw, but if he was meant to eat this particular recipe while the vegetable had been hot, then his impression was slightly skewed.

 **Jack:** _Probs my fault. I let it get cold, woulda been better hot._ He’d have to make sure to never go searching for late night recipes again, they only ever made him hungry and more likely to save anything that sounded even _remotely_ appeasing.

 **Mark:** _Still not sold, I think I’ll stick with just eating it plain, thanks._

Jack tore a piece of chicken off with his fork, he’d have to try the recipe again at a later date. He was going out on tour soon and was doing his best to try and eat healthy meals before inevitably going out to eat for the majority of his tour. The two continued to text back and forth until Jack’s phone didn’t ping again for a handful of minutes and Jack guessed Mark must’ve finally gotten up and started his day, leaving the Irishman to eat and peruse his Twitter feed. The two of them had a sort of routine set up what with being an ocean away from one another. They’d usually text one another around the time Jack was settling down to eat a late lunch or proper dinner just as Mark was waking up and contemplating making something other than coffee for breakfast. It was rather nice, it felt like Mark was in the room with him as he ate, and it made his home not feel quite so large and empty.

 **Mark:** _Think I’ll let myself have pancakes for breakfast, as a treat to myself._

His phone chimed at him again and Jack couldn’t help it as the corners of his lips twitched up into a cheeky grin. The two of them were currently on a health kick, trying to get in better shape for the sole purpose of making sure they were healthy. Although, the added benefit of decent muscle definition in his arms was _definitely s_ omething Jack wasn’t going to complain about. It was hard to stay healthy consistently, but the Irishman was in the best health of his life and he really couldn’t complain.

 **Jack:** _You know, waffles are far superior, right?_

 **Mark:** _Jack, I’m pretty sure you’re the only person I know who eat waffles section by section._

 **Jack:** _Am not! I’m sure plenty of people break them apart! It’s like you get to eat **four** waffles for the price of one!_ Jack pursed his lips as the image came to mind, he enjoyed tearing waffles apart and eating them section by section, the added benefit was that he never had to use a fork.

 **Mark:** _What am I going to do with you?_ Jack could practically hear the exasperated tone of the American, could see the way his eyes would inevitably be rolling at him as he gave Jack one of his trademark grins.

**Jack:** _You know you love me!_

**Mark:** _Yeah, I’m pretty lucky, aren’t I?_

Jack couldn’t help the stupidly large grin that spilt across his face at that. He felt _incredibly_ lucky to have someone as special as Mark to love. Since the London show, the pair had fallen into a more comfortable form of their friendship and it reminded Jack of those lovey dovey movies where the couples would fawn over one another to the dismay of their friend group. Though, their collective friend group already rolled their eyes and looked the other way at how he and Mark interacted with one another. It didn’t really bother Jack though, he was happier than he had been around this time last year and he partially attributed it to having finally broken the awkward tension that had fallen over he and Mark for a solid year.

The song changed again, Khalid’s vocals tapering off as silence momentarily filled the room before being replaced with a jazzy, hip hop blend and Dean’s sultry voice. It was no surprise, to anyone who knew enough about Jack, to find at least one song written by a Korean R&B singer. The song kept up with the lighthearted beat as Jack continued to shovel food into his mouth, the lyrics of the song Dean was singing running through his mind as his foot tapped in time to the beat. He and Mark had yet to really define what their newly formed relationship was, the Irishman still unsure of what to address Mark as in his own personal headspace. They were past the point of being just _strictly_ friends but referring to the American as his lover always made Jack crinkle his nose. The word felt too serious for their fledgling relationship, it was a word that would be better suited for later on, perhaps after a couple years or so, depending on whether they would continue to see one another that long.

In all honesty, the only reason why Jack was still hung up on the titles of their relationship was because of a conversation he had had with his sister. It’d be only a few weeks into his relationship with Mark and maybe his tone of voice had sounded bouncier than normal and… all right, maybe he _had_ gushed about Mark’s show a bit too much, continually talking about Mark and how wonderful it had been to see him.

“Geeze, it sounds like this fellow is yer boyfriend or somethin’!”

It’d been followed by that high-pitched laughter of hers and Jack was struck with the memory of teasing her for it. He hadn’t really expected to tell any of him family about his very real relationship with fellow YouTube personality Markiplier, Malcom had already teased him relentlessly about their ship name and the fans surrounding it.

For one, Jack didn’t think any of his family would take it seriously, it had been something both he and Mark had adamantly denied for years and so bringing it up to them now as something that was _actually_ true wouldn’t hold. Two, he had always been out dating girls when had been living with his parents, even expressing his interest in girls to his brothers more than once. He wasn’t sure how they would take to him dating Mark, who was very clearly not a girl. It wasn’t that he was afraid to come out to his parents, they had raised him to be very open minded and accepting of varying people, and Jack knew his entire family wouldn’t think any less of him. It was more like, he didn’t know _what_ he and Mark were to each other, and Jack wanted to have more time to figure it out. He didn’t want to introduce Mark to his family as his, “friend”, when that label wasn’t the whole truth.

Jack pushed aside his plate of half eaten food, sitting back more comfortably in his chair as he stared back at his phone for a moment. They would be fine, he told himself, Mark had said as much on the day he had left London. Whatever they were to each other now, it didn’t need to have any solid definition. Jack was just overthinking things, as usual, as he noticed the way his hand was tugging lightly at the hair of his beard.

 **Mark:** _God, I could never give up coffee, diet be damned!_

He wasn’t sure, but as he began to type out a reply to Mark, the uncertainty of their relationship status melted away. Mark had that indescribable way of saying things or doing things, that could make anyone’s troubles melt into the background and seem insignificant for a while.

 **Jack:** _It’s the nectar of the gods! I’d be upset if you managed to give it up! Who would I go on coffee dates with?!_ He sent this as his hand automatically reached out for a mug of said nectar, bringing it up to his lips and taking a deep drink.

 **Mark:** _Please, we could always go on movie dates, lunch dates, hell, I think you drink more coffee than I do._

 **Jack:** _You don’t know that!_

He sent this as he quickly gathered up a few forgotten coffee cups to bring to his kitchen. Mark wasn’t physically present, but he could still imagine the way the American’s eyebrow would arch in that particular way. The way that said, “see, I told you so”, and Jack hated it despite how much he loved the man.

 **Mark:** _You’re taking back a load of coffee cups to your kitchen sink right now, aren’t you?_

Jack’s mouth set into a thin line, hands covered in soap as he squinted at his phone that he’d set on the kitchen counter. Sometimes it felt like Mark was _actually_ living with him. He quickly wiped the soap from his hands onto his pants, letting the faucet run as he typed out a reply.

 **Jack:** _You can’t judge me if you aren’t here! Those are the rules!_

 **Mark:** _Are they? I wasn’t aware, I could change that._

Jack exhaled nosily and finished up with his dishes as he headed back to his room to take care of his half-eaten meal. He, along with others in their circle, knew just how hectic of a work schedule they could have. Hell, Jack was absolutely positive that he had told Mark about how he was going off on tour and wouldn’t be done for at least two solid months. The little ellipses came up near Mark’s name again as Jack entered his recording room and he pocketed his phone. It wasn’t that Mark _couldn’t_ make room for a visit, Jack knew the man well enough to know that if Mark wanted to do something, nobody could stop him. Hell, the man had driven to Canada for bagged milk at one point in his life. Jack scooped up his plate and made his way back to his kitchen laughing softly to himself as he shook his head. No matter how many times Mark claimed to be introverted, Jack swore the man was extroverted.

He grabbed an empty container from one of his cupboards and tossed the rest of his dinner in, sealing it shut and tossing it into his fridge. It might not have been the best thing he’d ever dared to try making, but at least he’d have something to eat for tomorrow. Plus, it was already cooked, all he would have to do is heat it back up which would leave more room for work. Jack pursed his lips as he washed off the plate, maybe he should have Mark text him a reminder to eat, he didn’t like how rational that thought had been to him.

 **Mark:** _I was actually planning on making a visit, never really been around where you live._

The Irishman blinked down at his phone in shock, a rush of excitement running through his body. They had seen one another a couple months ago, and in the world that they worked in, it was incredibly rare to be granted free time, especially since Mark was just as much a workaholic as Jack was. This didn’t stop the way his fingers shook ever so slightly as the grip on his phone lessened, his heart beating at a faster pace against his rib cage at the idea of being able to see the American once more.

 **Jack** : _Were yeh now? Feels just like yesterday that I saw yer show in London._

 **Mark:** _Yeah but, it was more for work than anything. Besides, I’d like to spend some actual time with you._

Jack ran a hand through his hair as he leaned against the kitchen counter, mentally trying to calm his excitement down. He didn’t want Mark to feel like he _had_ to spend his free time with him, they lived far apart from one another and both had their respective responsibilities to uphold. Jack wouldn’t be able to live with himself if he began to eat at the time Mark could be spending making videos for his fans, the Irishman was selfless like that.

But even Jack couldn’t deny himself the smallest of smiles.

 **Jack** : _As long as I’m not taking you away from your work._

 **Mark:** _Nah! I got a pretty good schedule going and it’s left me with more time to record things. You going to PAX East yeah? Mind if I catch the flight back with you?_

Jack didn’t think his face could hurt from smiling so much.

-.-

“Dude, this is like, the worst picture yeh’ve _ever_ taken”.

“Shut up! Like the one you took of _me_ was any better!” Jack leaned across the booth they were sitting in, desperately reaching for his phone that was being held prisoner in Mark’s large hands. Mark laughed wickedly, the corners of his eyes crinkling at the corners as he leaned further back into the cushion of the booth, swatting at Jack’s hands as he held up the phone up higher, thwarting any further attempts by the younger man. The Irishman huffed, tossing his head up in exasperation, eyes narrowing in what he hoped was threatening. It wasn’t doing him any favors though, as Mark simply snorted and turned his phone to face Jack, snickering to himself before finally tossing the phone back to him.

Jack jerked forwards before his phone could make a loud clang against the top of their table, although, Jack supposed that it wouldn’t have mattered too much. The restaurant they had found themselves in was what Jack had called, “a knock-off Hard Rock”. There was loads of band memorabilia strewn across the walls from various decades, and Jack had gone off on a tangent about a Chopy Suey poster the place had up on the walls as they’d waited for their seats. The music coming overhead from the speakers that were placed strategically throughout were a little louder than the two of them would’ve like. Jack outwardly agreeing to this when Mark had pointed it out, but inwardly he was screaming when _Enter Sandman_ roared to life. Various guitars were also displayed along-side the booths that sat tucked around the perimeter of the restaurant, each one signed by band members and outfitted with a metal plaque for the name of each band member. The eatery was a decent walk from their hotel _and_ the convention center, just enough walking to make Jack feel less guilty about how he was temporarily breaking his dieting rules.

His eyes trailed down from the poster he’d been admiring throughout Mark’s little game of keep away, his eyes falling down onto the screen of his phone as he scrolled through his photo reel to find at least two handfuls of blurry pictures of himself with his hands reaching out hopelessly. Jack narrowed his eyes, setting an elbow on the table as he showed Mark, “Really man?”. The American shrugged, unashamed as he lifted his glass of water to his lips and took a casual sip, “I can’t help it if you kept moving, I was _just trying_ to get a nice picture”. Jack rolled his eyes, leaning back and proceeded to delete every single one of the blurry photos Mark had managed to take.

“Yer like, banned from using my phone man,” there wasn’t as much bite as Jack would have liked in his words, he was too preoccupied with making sure he got every last photo, he didn’t want to give Mark the satisfaction that what he had done, while funny, wasn’t one of the things he wanted to become regular between them. His phone was an extension of himself, and he didn’t really want anyone else handling it unnecessarily, it was _extremely_ 21st century thinking of him.

“It’s a price I’m willing to pay,” Mark smiled crookedly at him and despite Jack being annoyed with him still, he couldn’t help the fond smile that spread across his face. “Besides,” the older man continued as he leaned forward on the table, “It’s not every day I get to tease you”. Jack snorted, his smile morphing into a cheeky smirk, “You take _every chance_ you get when we’re on Skype or Discord, start doing it too much and I’ll have to put a limit to how many times you can tease me”. Jack didn’t miss how Mark tipped his head forward, molten brown eyes igniting with mischief and something a little more private, it was a look that spoke volumes and in a public setting, Jack had to turn and face the other patrons of the restaurant. It was just as well, because the younger man managed to catch the eye of their waiter who promptly walked over, smiling brightly.

“Sorry about the wait gentlemen!” Their waiter looked to be about no more than twenty years old, but his thick beard made him look at least twenty-four and Jack figured that if he shaved it all off, he’d look like a teenager again. The young man tucked his serving tray underneath his arms, pulling out his booklet and suddenly Jack wished he hadn’t made eye contact with him. Mark quickly rattled something off and handed their waiter his menu, leaving Jack to fend for himself. The Irishman quickly scanned the menu, eyes catching the generic name of a burger and he settled on ordering it, flicking his own menu to the young man who politely left with a tip of his head to put their order in.

“Jaysus,” Jack sighed, running a hand through his short hair, he hated unnecessarily calling food service people over when he wasn’t ready, he always felt bad for wasting their time on busy nights such as tonight. He glared at Mark over his glass of water as he heard the other man snicker, “Keep laughin’ Markimoo”. Mark brought a hand up concealing the way his lips curled over his teeth as he placed his glass of water down, “Sorry,” the older man began, “It’s just…you’re pretty cute when you get flustered like that”. Jack blinked a couple times before scratching at his beard as he smiled back nervously. He was accustomed to such compliments given to him by the American over Skype and Discord but hearing them in the flesh was completely different, the way Mark’s eyes show brightly despite the dim lighting. His smile lazily forming across his lips as he leaned forward once more, placing an elbow onto the table and cupping his chin his hand.

“Yer panel went really well,” Jack offered as conversation as he noticed himself beginning to stare off into Mark’s eyes and it felt far too “couple-y”, despite the two of the being in an actual relationship. They had become friends first and being able to stare at Mark all he wanted without fear of being caught, was still new to him.

Mark groaned, rolling his eyes as he let his arm fall onto the table with a small thump. “Oh yeah, sure, I basically told my entire fan base that they were dead to me if they didn’t work at Cracker Barrel”.

Jack grinned wickedly, leaning close to the table as he added, “Yeh also told them that if they didn’t buy yer _“Tasteful Nudes Calendar”_ , that they were all dead to yeh too”. The Irishman held Mark’s gaze as the older man glared at him, gently setting down the fork he’d been idly playing with before he pointed a finger in Jack’s direction. “I told them it was for a great cause, nothin’ weird about it,” the older man leaned back in his seat, running a hand through his hair, “I made a promise, and I kept it. If you ask me, those are some _damn fine_ morals to teach someone”.

Jack gave Mark his best unimpressed face he could muster, staring at the American over the frame of his glasses that had slipped down his nose, “Right, sure they are”. The younger man smirked at Mark before pushing his glasses back up his face as the American huffed in response and jutted out his lower lip, crossing his arms across his chest.

“But, _“Tasteful Nudes Calendar”_ , really Mark?” Jack laughed as the words left his lips, watching as Mark’s earth toned eyes widened.

“I _said_ I made a promise! And I delivered!” Mark’s voice pitched a little higher than he must have meant it because he quickly cleared his throat and schooled his features. Jack couldn’t wipe the smirk that he knew was still plastered on his face, he was enjoying teasing Mark and finally being the one to dish it out as opposed to being on the receiving end of it.

But Jack wasn’t _completely_ heartless, he did have a reputation to maintain.

“All right, all right,” he conceded, showing Mark his hands as way of initiating peace between them, “Yeh followed through, good for you”. Given the loud huff he was given, Jack took it that Mark wasn’t entirely convinced by Jack’s show of good faith but also looked like he was just as ready to drop the subject.

They continued to talk as they waited for their food, enjoying each other’s presence and basking in the chance to pretend that they weren’t YouTubers and were just regular people. Jack held back the want to tease Mark further and instead, commented on the song playing through the speakers every now and then when their conversation lulled. It seemed to keep Mark entertained and engaged as the older man kept asking him question upon question to which Jack was only too delighted to be able to share his love of music with someone equally as interested. It was enough to keep them occupied by the time their young waiter returned with their meals and both men finally realized how hungry they were as they dug in.

The cold night air hit Jack harshly in the face when they finally let the restaurant and the younger man had to tug at his jacket to keep the wind from clawing its way under his t-shirt. He turned to face Mark, the man was clad in just a gray sweatshirt with a large NASA logo on the back and a small one in the upper left-hand corner. It made Jack colder, just watching how nonchalant Mark was about walking around in the cold and looking unperturbed. He shivered involuntarily and folded his arms across his chest.

“Here, let me,” Mark’s voice sounded and before Jack could object, the older man reached out and placed his arm over Jack’s shoulder, bringing the Irishman closer to him. They stumbled for a few heartbeats, Jack tripping over Mark’s right foot and almost taking them both down to the concrete sidewalk, but they soon found a pattern and made quick work of the walk back to their hotel. They’d, ironically, booked the same hotel. It wasn’t something that normal, hotel rooms usually being booked months and months in advanced by other patrons. But this time they had actually planned ahead, Mark taking the initiative and booking both their rooms in the same place so when PAX was over, they could ride to the airport together. Mark would come home with him, Mark would be in _his home_ , walking around Brighton with him, it sent a surge of nervous energy through Jack and despite how he was beginning to warm up, he shivered.

The pair soon came upon their hotel, Mark unraveling himself from Jack’s person, so they could walk through the revolving glass door one at a time. A lovely woman with streaks of blonde in her brown hair greeted them cheerfully and the two waved politely before turning down the hall and making their way to the elevator. It was early enough in the night that it was just the two of them waiting for the elevator to come get them, others still enjoying a night out or perhaps having already turned in. Either way, their wait was short lived and as the doors opened Mark waved his hand forward, allowing Jack to enter first as he followed close behind. Jack hit their respective floors, the Irishman hitting the numbers five and seven as the doors shut and the elevator hummed to life. Again, it didn’t take that much time, the doors opening once more to allow Jack off onto his floor. He made a move to exit the elevator, twisting the front half of his body to bid Mark a good night over his shoulder, when a warm hand around his wrist jerked him backwards.

“What teh—”

It was all Jack managed to get out, the elevator doors closing slowly as the younger man was pulled chest-to-chest with Mark. They stared down at one another for a heartbeat, the elevator closing achingly slow suddenly, and soon Mark’s lips were on his. It was quick, chaste, and Jack was left breathless when they pulled away, that crooked smile presenting itself to the Irishman. The doors opened once more, Mark’s eyes quickly flicking upwards and then back down at Jack, bringing his hands up to grip at his shoulders before stealing another quick kiss from him, eyes sparkling with mischief as he said, “I’ll see ya tomorrow, _yeon-in_ ”.

Jack was too stunned by the use of a Korean word—he was sure it was Korean, what with the way it rolled almost naturally from the other man’s mouth—to really say anything as the doors closed once more.

**Author's Note:**

> I've got school and work so updates might be very sporadic, an I want to make sure I'm happy with what I've written before I post. Thanks for understanding!
> 
> I'm also unsure of Google Translate so, bear with me if the translations are off.


End file.
